Alright, decided today was a good day to really hammer down on some middle linebacker work. You know, get back to basics. It’s been a minute since I really focused just on the Mike spot.
Getting Started
First thing, gotta get the body moving. Did some dynamic stretching, high knees, butt kicks, the usual stuff. Loosened up the hips especially, can’t be stiff playing linebacker. Felt okay, maybe a little creaky at first, but worked through it. Spent a good 15 minutes just getting warm.
The Drills
Then I got into the meat of it. Started with footwork.
- Read steps: Just practiced those first couple shuffle steps, reading imaginary guards. Trying to keep my base low and eyes up. Did reps going left, reps going right. Over and over.
- Shuffle and scrape: Moved onto shuffling down the line, like scraping over the top to fill a gap. Focused on keeping my shoulders square. Used some cones as guides.
- Pass drops: Worked on my basic hook/curl zone drops. Opening the hips, getting depth, feeling the imaginary routes around me. Did some angle drops too, simulating covering a back out of the backfield. Honestly, felt a bit sluggish on these today. Need more reps.
- Tackling dummy: Dragged out the old tackling dummy. Wasn’t about big hits today, more about technique. Practiced form tackling – head up, wrap up, drive the feet. Did about 20 good reps. Good to reinforce the muscle memory.
Also spent some time just visualizing. Stood there, imagined formations, went through pre-snap reads in my head, made imaginary checks and calls. Sounds silly maybe, but the mental part is huge for a Mike.
Observations and Wind Down
The biggest thing I noticed was definitely needing to be quicker on my pass drops. That initial burst wasn’t quite there. Something to focus on next time. My run reads felt pretty decent, though. Felt like I was seeing things develop okay in my mind’s eye.
It’s funny, you do this stuff for years, and you still find things to tweak. It never really stops. It’s different doing these drills now compared to when I was younger, recovery takes a bit longer, gotta be smarter about the workload. But the core movements, reading the play – that stuff is timeless.
Finished up with some static stretching. Held everything for about 30 seconds. Cooled down properly. Packed up my gear. Felt good to put in the work, even if it wasn’t perfect. Every bit helps.
